The Full Plate Podcast with Abbie Attwood, MS

TW: Mention of eating disorder behaviors in this epidode. Shira Rosenbluth, LCSW joins the pod to talk about her experience in eating disorder recovery as a clinician in the anti-diet, weight-inclusive space.  We talk about so much, including: What’s going on for Shira in this moment of life with her recovery and her therapy practice Balancing structure and flexibility in meals during ED recovery...

Whether or not you’ve done a Whole30, this episode goes through how this diet is a specific example of wellness culture – the new version of diet culture, where restrictive eating is disguised as “health”. Abbie’s husband Jeb joins to keep her from going on a 3-hour tangent, which trust us, is a good thing.  Topics discussed: Wellness culture and healthism as a new form of diet culture Abbie’s exp...

Let's talk about MOVEMENT (without a side of diet culture). Kira Onysko Jones joins the pod to share her journey with fitness, body image, and her relationship with food. We discuss so much on this one -- from cooking new foods as a part of healing from disordered eating, to Gilmore Girls (just kidding, that was only for a few minutes at the end, I PROMISE). The main topics include: Disordered eat...

Aleta Storch joins the pod to talk about her experience growing up with ADHD, how her disordered eating began in college, and the ways in which that manifested alongside her navigating a mental health condition. Abbie shares ways in which this relates to her experiences with anxiety and OCD. We also discuss food rules when you have a mental health condition, how athletes are impacted by diet cultu...

In this episode, Abbie answers a listener question from Patreon and talks about the seduction of diet culture in the New Year. You’ll hear about how you can challenge the diet culture mindset using self-compassion rather than comparison, a values-based framework, and the body of evidence on "weight management". This episode is an important reminder of ways to navigate the feeling of wanting to do...

Summer Innanen joins the pod to talk about body image and self-worth. We go into a little bit of everything on this one – from Summer’s experience of diet culture growing up, to the crossfit world and Paleo diet, to bargaining with herself as she learned about intuitive eating and body acceptance.  We explore tangible tips on how to get out of a negative body image spiral, how dieting harms our co...

Let's talk diet talk. It's the holiday season, and that means plenty of opportunities to be surrounded by other people WHILE being surrounded by food. Cue the "I'm being so bad!" and "Good thing I'll be doing a January detox!" and "Are you really eating ALL of that?" comments.  In this episode, Abbie walks through how to prepare for food and body comments ahead of time and how to navigate them in...

Dr. Colleen Reichmann joins the pod to talk about her own lived experience with an eating disorder and the rocky road of recovery that led to her becoming a psychologist who specializes in eating disorders. We also talk about how early childhood and our personality and temperament impact why and how we reach for coping mechanisms like food restriction. Colleen speaks openly and generously about in...

Let’s chat about sugar – specifically the concept of “sugar addiction” and what the science says. This topic has been requested countless times, and I can absolutely understand why. Diet culture has demonized sugar in a myriad of ways, leaving so many of us to feel like we “can’t control ourselves” around sweet foods. If you’ve ever felt like you are addicted to sugar (or food, for that matter), t...

Body acceptance coach Kristina Bruce joins the pod to talk about how our thoughts and conditioning shape our the experience we have in our body. We discuss the impact of body comments on body image, why dieting and body control can feel like a form of safety, how diet culture keeps us from living an authentic life, and what we can do to begin challenging the negative beliefs we hold about our bodi...

Time for some holiday Q&A! In this episode, Abbie answers two listener questions relating to food guilt, over-eating, and general anxiety about holiday food festivities. You'll hear about common causes of guilt with eating and how to rethink guilt in the context of diet culture. These questions also take us on a bit of a road trip through mental restriction and physical restriction and how those i...

Get ready because this is a good one! First, Abbie and Diane talk about some changes to the pod in the What's New With You segment. Then Abbie introduces us to her favorite (yes, she has a lot of favorites) way to approach food choices. It's something that will help you tune into what you really want to eat as well as how to eat in a more peaceful way. This episode is all about aiming for SATISFAC...

In this episode, we explore the nuances surrounding the distinction between a “food rule” and a true food preference. This can be a tricky distinction to make when you are ditching diet culture, healing from chronic dieting, or recovering from an eating disorder / more generalized disordered relationship with food. We discuss uncovering your intention with food choices, the importance of tuning in...

We’re tackling another common misconception about anti-diet culture: Is the anti-diet movement anti-nutrition? We discuss how diet culture frames nutrition as a personal responsibility, how class and privilege are involved, what impact nutrition actually has on our well-being, and how we can start to explore it for ourselves without the rigidity and rules. Let us know if you have any follow-up que...

In this episode, we explore a common fear: the fear of endless weight gain when moving away from dieting, disordered eating, or other restrictive behaviors with food and / or exercise. We discuss how the body reacts to deprivation (both physiological and psychological), what the science says about set point weight, and what we can learn about energy deficiency from the Minnesota Starvation Study. ...

If you’ve ever compared what you eat to what or how much someone else is eating (specifically your partner), this episode is for you. This is a question that Abbie receives constantly from clients and followers, and we’re here for it. We discuss comparison, gendered perceptions of food intake, and how to move through the muck of food comparison when it comes to your partner (and really, everyone)....

In this episode, we’re talking about a common misconception that comes up when talking about anti-diet culture. What if you follow a particular way of eating (ahem, diet) for “health” instead of weight-loss? How does that fit into the paradigm of food freedom and attuned eating?  This is a packed episode! We touch on healthism, food morality, intention with food choices, elimination for medical re...

We’ve got a wonderful guest for you in this episode! Dr. Alexis Conason joins us to talk about how she found the anti-diet approach after beginning her career in the weight-centric model, the ways she uses mindfulness with her clients as a form of healing from diet culture, and how self-acceptance plays such a central role in our relationship to food and body image. She also busts some myths about...

In this episode, we’re tackling part two of our listener question from last week about how the f*ck to figure out what to eat after decades of following diet rules and living with a disordered eating mentality about food. Abbie takes us through two foundational places to begin this process, and then we talk about some tangible tips for putting together a satisfying meal. Episodes mentioned: Episod...

In this episode, we’re answering a listener question about how to decide what to eat when you’re coming from decades of dieting or disordered eating. Christie asks: How do you know WHAT to eat after DECADES of eating only "yes" foods and completely avoiding "no" foods? How do you know what food your body is hungry for?  These two studies reference the impact of lifestyle behaviors like diet and ex...

It’s a husband episode! Abbie and her husband Jeb are interviewed about how they have navigated, and continue to navigate, their relationship with Jeb being a recovering addict and Abbie having recovered from an eating disorder. This episode is full of helpful thoughts and tips for anyone who is in a relationship or friendship where mental health is central to the partnership (so, all of us!).  We...

We can experience a loss of appetite for a variety of reasons – illness, stress, anxiety, dieting and restriction, and so much more. In this episode, Abbie walks us through why this is such a common experience in recovery from dieting and disordered eating, the reasons for a loss of appetite, how to identify subtle signs of hunger, and then practical tips for coping with food when you just don’t f...

We have a special guest on this episode! Dr. Kera Nyemb-Diop joins us to talk about the way diet culture influences cultural food choices and how she approaches this with her work in nutrition. We also discuss the racist origins of diet and wellness culture, common myths she hears about the “health” of certain foods in the black community, and how we can all decolonize our plates. This is an aweso...

This episode is all about movement. Diet culture has bound up fitness with food and our body image, and it’s so important to unravel that to find out what movement truly means for each of us. Making peace with exercise means approaching it from a place of self-care – but how do we do that after decades of thinking about it through the diet culture lens of “earning” or “burning” of food? Abbie take...

In this episode, we’re answering a listener question (with recommendations in general for handling medical conditions): "Do you have suggestions for handling a high blood pressure diagnosis? I recently started blood pressure medication but have been wary of my doctor’s “diet and exercise” suggestion for lowering it without meds. Would love your HAES perspective on this! Thanks to both of you!" Stu...